This invention relates generally to poker card games. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel method for playing a modified poker card game utilizing playing cards arranged in a pyramid-like format.
Poker is a favorite card game which is played by many people. Typically, the game is played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards. The object of the game of poker is to obtain the best hand. A hand consists of five cards. The individual cards are ranked in the following order from highest to lowest: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The suits are clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades.
The hands are ranked in the following order from highest to lowest:
(1) Five Of A Kindxe2x80x94Five cards of equal rank.
(2) Royal Flushxe2x80x94Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10xe2x80x94all of the same suit.
(3) Straight Flushxe2x80x94Five cards, all of the same suit, in sequence.
(4) Four Of A Kindxe2x80x94Four cards of equal rank.
(5) Full Housexe2x80x94Three cards of equal rank and two cards of equal rank.
(6) Flushxe2x80x94Any five cards of the same suit.
(7) Straightxe2x80x94Five cards of mixed suits, in sequence.
(8) Three Of A Kindxe2x80x94Three cards of equal rank.
(9) Two Pairxe2x80x94Two cards of equal rank and a different two cards of equal rank.
(10) One Pairxe2x80x94Two cards of equal rank.
(11) High Cardxe2x80x94The card that has the highest rank.
For example, hand (5), a Full House, is better than hands (6) through (11). However, hands (1) through (4), are each better than hand (5). The best hand among the players is declared. The player who has the best hand is the winner. If two or more players have the same best hand, the players are each declared the winner or the best hand with the highest ranking of individual card(s) is determined. The player who has this hand is then declared the winner.
For typical poker, a player is dealt cards or draws cards from the deck itself from which the winning hand is assembled. A problem with drawing from the deck itself is that the winning hand depends entirely upon the cards dealt directly from the deck which, after a while, become somewhat boring and unchallenging since a player can only win in one way; ie. obtaining the best hand from the hand of five cards as described above.
No modified poker card game is known which, in addition to forming a winning hand from cards in the deck, as dealt, also utilizes a pyramid card arrangement from which a winning poker hand may be combined with the deck dealt cards.
In view of the above mentioned problems and limitations associated with playing standard poker card games, it was recognized by the present inventor that there is an unfulfilled need for an improved method for playing a modified version of poker and one which is simple, practical, fun to play and is easily played using a standard deck of cards and a pyramid arrangement of cards.
Accordingly, it becomes clear that there is a great need for a method for playing a modified pyramid poker card game which overcomes the disadvantages associated with standard poker card games. Such a modified poker card game should be one that is easy and fun to play and one which differs from conventional poker card game methods of play.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a modified poker card game for playing poker which avoids the aforementioned conventional poker card game problems and limitations associated therewith.
It is an object of this invention to provide a method for playing a modified poker card game which utilizes cards arranged in a pyramid.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method of playing a modified poker card game which, in addition to forming a winning hand from cards in the deck, as dealt, also utilizes a pyramid card arrangement from which a winning poker hand may be combined with the deck dealt cards.
It is another object of this invention to get rid of three cards in the hand of a player.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method for playing a modified version of poker which is simple, practical, fun to play and is easily played using a standard deck of cards and a pyramid arrangement of cards.
Further objects will become apparent from the following description and claims.
This invention results from the realization that there is a great need for a new method for playing poker without the problems associated with playing traditional poker. The resulting invention provides a player the capability of being able to play a more challenging poker card game whereby, a winning poker hand is formed in combination with dealt cards from cards in the deck and from the cards arranged in the pyramid.
The above and the other objects are achieved in accordance with the present invention, which, according to a first aspect, provides a method for playing a modified poker card game using a standard deck of playing cards comprising the steps of (a) dealing four cards, face down, to a player defining a hand; (b) discarding one card from the hand of the player, leaving the player with three cards; (c) dealing six cards, face down from the deck, arranged in a community defining a pyramid having a top row with one wild card, a middle row with two discards and a bottom row with three play cards; (d) comparing matching cards, by rank, from the hand of each player and from the play cards and the wild card, with the discards and placing them on top of the matching discards when the play cards, the discards and the wild card are turned face up during the course of play, (e) forming, by each player, a best poker hand, wherein the best poker hand consisting of a maximum of five cards chosen from the cards remaining in the hand of the player and from the play cards remaining and from the wild card, if it remains, of the pyramid; wherein the wild card and any card having the same rank as the wild card may represent any card including the discards and any matching cards that have been placed on top of the matching discards during the course of play; (f) exposing the best poker hand, by each player, face up; (g) examining the best poker hand among the players; and (h) declaring the player having the best poker hand, as the winner.
A second aspect is a special case of the first aspect of this invention with additional features. According to a second aspect of the invention, the first aspect further comprising the step of allowing each player to place a bet, in turn, in a pot, after each play card, each discard and wild card of the pyramid is turned face up. Each player may select a standard traditional poker betting option and rule instead of placing a bet in a pot after each play card, each discard and wild card of the pyramid is turned face up.